Pelt stretcher



1=eb.25,1941.l 'RnPmLBRlCK f `2.2.1885

PELT STRETCHER Filed Julyv 6. 19259 ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 25', 1941UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE PELT STRETCHER Raymond D. Philbrick,Ericson, Nebr.

Application July 6, 1939, Serial No. 283,071

7 Claims. (CL 14th-.21)

My invention relates to new and useful .improvements in pelt stretchers.

An important object of my invention is to provide a pelt stretcher thatwill efficiently stretch and dry the fresh pelts of lkilled animals.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pelt stretcher that isadjustable in its `nature to accommodate varying sizes of pelts.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a pelt stretcher thatis` unique in its construction to permit the pelts to be easily drawnthereon or removed therefrom and that will permit both sides of the peltto be exposed to a free circulation of air to assure a rapid andefficient drying of the pelt.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a pelt stretcher thatis simple in construction and that will permit the 'pelt to be removedwithout danger of being twisted or otherwise'une duly distorted.

Yet another object of my invention is the provision of a pelt stretcherthat is durable in its construction and is efficient and efficacious inthe performance of its duties.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during thecourse of the following description.

In the drawing, forming a part` of this specication, Yand in which likenumerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a device embodying my invention, andillustrating a pelt in association therewith,

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the same, illustrating .oneof the pelt engaging hooks,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure2, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view,

in drying. When the pelt has been properly removed from the animal itwill` be substantially in the shape of a sack and with `the -fur on thewith respect thereto.

illustrating the means for locking the stretch-V inside. The pelt maythen be easily drawn over the stretching arms, as illustrated in Figure1, and the hooks i6 and Il attached to the free ends thereof.

The hooks I6 and I1 are normally positioned intermediate the free endsof the arms and are of substantially elongated U-shaped formation toprevent the pelt from being accidentally disengaged therefrom. The shankportions I8 of the hooks are looped around the stretcher arms as at I94and the ends 20 thereof are bent angularly outwardly therefrom towardthe free end of the stretcher arms and have their extremities hooked, asat 2l, to frictionally engage or receive the outer edge of the saidstretcher arms and at a point spaced substantially from the loopedportions I9. As clearly illustrated in Figure 3, the loop portions I9are` not tightly wrapped around the stretcher arm but are fash- `ionedwith the loop of substantially greater length than the width of the barto leave a space, as at 22, to permit a free sliding movement of thehooks relative to the bar and to enable the said hooks to be pivotallyactuated The end 23 of the rod 24 is received in the aperture 25 at thefree end of the stretcher arm Il! and with the extremity 26 thereofwrapped around the end 23 to securely hold the same against accidentaldisplacement. The rod' 24 extends transversely of the longitudinal axisof the stretcher vbars and is fashioned into a depending loop formation21. The end portion 28` of the rod extends beyond the loop formation 21at substantially, right angles to the main por-` tion of the rod and theextremity 2S thereof is bent angularly thereto in a direction away fromand parallel to the rod to terminate in a looped formation 30.

, The end 3| of the transversely extending rod 32 is looped through theaperture 33 adjacent the free end of the stretcher larm Il and theextremity 34 thereof is-looped around the end 3| to hold the said rod`against displacement. The rod 32 extends in spaced parallelism with therod 24 and is slidably received bythe de? pending looped portion 2l. Theextremity 35A is looped around the rod 24, asl at 36, and in a manner topermit the same to be easily slidable with respect thereto. The end 3lof the locking link 38 is pivotally attached to the looped extremity 30of the rod 24, and the end 39 thereof is loosely wrapped around the end3| of the rod 32. y

The free ends of the stretcher arms I 0 and may be pivotally actuatedtoward each other or away from each other and the rods 24 and 32 areslidably interlocking to permit a free movement of the arms withinreasonable limits. When the raw pelt |5 has been drawn on the stretcherrods, the free ends of the rods are pivoted toward each other to permitthe hooks I6 and Il to be attached to the pelt. 'Ihe end 40 of the backside of the pelt is drawn underneath the shank I8 of the hook I6 andWrapped around the hook to permit the pointed end 4| thereof to piercethe same. The belly or underside of the pelt 42 is similarly attached tothe hook Il and, when the free ends of the stretcher arms are spreadapart, the ends of the pelt will be positioned at substantially themiddle of theielongated hooks. The ends of the'hooks extend asubstantial distance beyond the point where the hooks penetrate-the peltto obviate the possibility of their becoming disengaged from the peltshould the same be dropped or handled in a rough or careless manner.

Because of the interlocking engagement of the extremities 2| of thehooks with the stretcher arms, they may be pivoted relative thereto in adirection away from the pivoted end thereof, as illustrated in Figure 2,but any application of force that attempts to move the hooks toward thepivoted end of the arms, such as the force effected by the contractionof the drying pelt, will be resisted by reason of the locking engagementof the extremities 2| with the outer edges of the stretching arms.

When the free ends of the stretching arms have been spread a suiicientdistance apart to tautly stretch the fresh pelt, the end 29 of thelocking link 38 may be slidably actuated along the end 3| of the bar 32and into binding relation therewith in a manner to prevent slidingmotion of the rods 24 and 32 relative to each other.' The link 38 willlockingly engage the rod 32 until the link is manually released andpositioned substantially parallel to the portion 28 of the rod 24 topermit free sliding movement of the rods with respect to each other.

It may thus be seen that, as the pelt dries, the rigid or nonresilientconstruction of the stretcher arms' willl resist the contractingstresses of the pelts and that the locking link 38 will prevent the freeends of the arms from being moved toward each other. The lockingengagement of the extremities of the hooks will prevent the pelt fromcrawling along the stretcher arms toward the pivoted ends. When the peltis held in the tautly stretched condition hereinbefore described, theair will have access to the fur side of the pelt and thereby assure arapid and eilicient drying of the same.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown anddescribed, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and thatvarious changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or thescope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I Iclaim:

1. A pelt stretcher comprising a pair of pivoted stretching membersadapted to be manually spread apart to stretch a pelt mounted thereon,and hooks adapted to engage the pelt substantiallyy intermediate thefree ends of the said stretching members, said hooks lhaving their shankportions loosely looped around the stretching members for free slidingmovement therealong, the extremities of the said loops extendingangularly outwardly toward the free ends of the stretching members andhooked over the outer edge thereof to prevent movement of the said hookstoward the pivoted end of the stretcher, the said hooked ends readilydisengaging from the members to permit pivotal movement of the hooks ina direction away from the pivoted end of the members.

2. A. pelt stretcher comprising a pair of pivoted stretching membersadapted to be manually spread apart to stretch a pelt mounted thereon,hooks adapted to engage the pelt substantially intermediate the freeends of the said members, said hooks having their shank portions looselylooped around the stretching members for free sliding movementtherealong, the' extremities of the said loops extending angularlyoutwardly toward the free ends of the stretching members and hooked overthe outer edge thereof to prevent movement of the said hooks toward thepivoted end of the stretcher but in a manner permitting the Ahooks to bepivotally moved away from the said pivoted ends of the members, andmeans to lock the stretching members in the extended position.

3. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of pivotally connected stretching barshaving the pivoted ends thereof bowed to form a substantially V-shapedframe, a hook slidably mounted on each of the stretching ibars, saidhooks being positioned intermediate the stretching bar-s and with theshank portions thereof loosely looped around the bars for free slidingmovement therealong, the extremities of the said loops extending towardthe free ends of the stretcher bars and terminating in hooked endsadapted to frictionally engage the outer edges of the bars at a pointspaced from the looped portion to prevent actuation of the hooks towardthe pivoted end of the stretcher but permitting free actuation thereofin a direction away therefrom.

4. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of pivotally connected stretching barshaving one of their ends bowed to form a substantially V-shaped frame, atransverse rod mounted at the free end of one of said arms and formedwith a depending loop portion the end of which extends at right anglesto the arm and with the extremity thereof being bent angularly outwardlyand fashioned into a loop formation, a transverse rod mounted at thefree end of the other of the said arms and slidably received in thedepending loop portion of the first-mentioned rod and with the extremitythereof looped around the said rod, and a link rod having one endpivotally attached to the looped extremity of the first-mentioned rodand with the other end thereof looped around the second-mentioned rod,said link rod adapted to bindingly engage the second-mentioned rod toprevent the actuation of the free ends of the stretching bars towardeach other.

5. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of pivotally connected stretching barshaving one of their ends bowed to form a substantially V-shaped frame, ahook slidably mounted on each of the stretching fbars, said hooks beingpositioned intermediate the stretching bars and with the shank portionsthereof looped around the bar and extending toward the free end thereofand terminating in a hooked end adapted to frictionally engage the outeredge of the bar at a point spaced from the looped portion to preventactuation of the hook toward the pivoted end of the stretcher butpermitting free actuation thereof in a direction away therefrom, atransverse rod mounted at the free end of one of said arms and formedwith a depending loop portion the end of which eX- tends at rightangles'to the arm and with the extremity thereof being bent angularlyoutwardly and fashioned into a loop formation, a `transverse rod mountedat the free end of the other of the said arms and slidably received inthe depending loop` portion of the rst-mentined rod and with theextremity thereof looped around the said rod, and a link rod having oneend pivotally attached to the looped extremity of the first-mentionedrod and with the other end thereof looped around the second-mentionedrod, said link rod adapted to bindingly engage the second-mentioned rodto prevent the actuation of the free ends of the stretching bars towardeach other.

6. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of pivotally connected stretching barshaving one of their ends bowed to form a substantially V-haped frame,hook means slidably mounted on the stretching bars, a transverse rodmounted at the free end of one of said arms and formed with a dependingloop portion the end of which extends at right angles to the arm andwith the extremity thereof being bent angularly outwardly and fashionedinto a loop formation, a transverse rodK mounted at the free end of theotherof the said arms and slidably received in the depending loopportion of the Erst-mentioned rod and with the extremity thereof loopedaround the said rod, and a link rod having one end pivotally attached tothe looped extremity of the rstmentioned rod and with the other endthereof looped around the second-mentioned rod, said link rod adapted toIbindingly engage the second mentioned rod to prevent the actuation ofthe free ends of the stretching bars toward each other.

7. In a pelt stretcher, a pair of pivoted stretching bars, means to holdthe bars in an expanded position comprising an arm carried by one of thebars, an arm carried by the other of ythe bars, said arms beingconnected for mutual sliding movement relative to each other, said firstarm having an extending end portion, and a locking member slidable onthe said second'arm and cooperative with the extending end of .the firstarm to effect a binding engagement therebetween and to prevent relativesliding movement of the said arms.

RAYMOND D. PHILBRICK.

